The Society for Vascular Surgery practice guidelines on follow-up after vascular surgery arterial procedures - Journal of Vascular Surgery

Practice guidelines are a critical component in providing high-quality, cost-effective care. The best guidelines are based on evidence supported by relevant research from the world's literature. There are many gaps in scientific evidence, so when that occurs, disease experts must develop a consensus, using their best expertise and judgement about best practice and optimal care. Practice guidelines, collated into a single document, provide guidance to clinicians, who may not be aware of the extent of research and data related to a disease, but practice guidelines have many other important functions. Once written, they allow clinicians to be benchmarked against other physicians regarding the quality of care they provide. Guidelines also serve as standards that can be used by databases, such as the Society for Vascular Surgery (SVS) Vascular Quality Initiative (VQI), to provide feedback to individual physicians, groups of physicians, and even regions about how they measure up against others. Equally important, guidelines often identify gaps in the literature, where additional research needs to be conducted. In sum, practice guidelines form the basis for a quality program, and without them, it is difficult to provide the best-quality, cost-effective care, since it is impossible to measure quality without having reporting standards and clinical practice guidelines. The SVS has been engaged in practice guidelines for years, sometimes developing them on their own, when the disease is treated primarily by vascular surgeons, while other times, they are written in collaboration with other vascular societies or other specialties. In this issue of the Journal of Vascular Surgery, R. Eugene Zierler, MD, from the University of Washington, Seattle, Wash, and his colleagues present the SVS practice guidelines on follow-up after vascular surgery arterial procedures.1x1Zierler, R.E., Jordan, W.D., Lal, B.K., Mussa, F., Leers, S., Fulton, J. et al. The Society for Vascular Surgery practice guidelines on follow-up after vascular Surgery arterial procedures. J Vasc Surg. 2018; 68: 256–284 Abstract | Full Text | Full Text PDF | PubMed | Scopus (2) | Google ScholarSee all References The importance of this document on follow-up care cannot be overemphasized, since vascular disease is rarely “cured,” recurrences occur months to years later and vascular disease may develop at other sites as well. If identified early, vascular disease can often be treated with a minimally invasive intervention, avoiding a major vascular procedure. The document provides 24 guidelines on follow-up